South Lanarkshire Council Demountable Unit

Somerford Equipment supplies South Lanarkshire Council with industry’s first Demountable Road Marking Unit

South Lanarkshire Council is one of Scotland’s 32 unitary authorities of Scotland and borders the south-east of the City of Glasgow. The council was operating an ageing fleet of road marking vehicles that were operational for only part of the year. Somerford Equipments’ Demountable body was the ideal solution for the council to use a single vehicle for many different applications, and was commissioned as part of a major fleet replacement programme.

The Challenge

The council’s Transport and Maintenance department needed to update an ageing fleet of road marking vehicles which could only be operational for only part of each year depending on weather conditions. The vehicles would be replaced as part of a major ongoing fleet replacement programme being carried out by Kerr & Smith, the Glasgow-based Iveco dealer.

The Solution

The decision was taken to order Somerford Equipment’s innovative demountable road marking bodies which utilise standard hook-mount technology and are compatible with the council’s existing fleet of prime movers.

According to Dave Gibson, Transport and Maintenance Manager at South Lanarkshire Council: “This innovative demountable road marking body from Somerford Equipment was selected as it is compatible with our existing prime mover fleet and further extends the range of applications that can be handled by our workforce throughout the year. This has enabled us to maximise available budgets and deliver a more proactive response to enhancing road safety and reducing ongoing maintenance costs.”

The demountable road marking bodies can be loaded, connected and ready for use in less than 30 minutes enabling South Lanarkshire Council to quickly interchange between other stock bodies including gritters, skip loaders and recycling units. They also help to accommodate changes in staff availability or weather conditions.

“Somerford Equipment works closely in partnership with our technical team and continues to provide the highest level of service support to ensure that the demountable road marking bodies continue to deliver greater operational flexibility and help reduce the council’s carbon footprint,” continued Ewing.

Michael Oakes, General Manager of Somerford Equipment concluded: “This unique fully demountable road marking body is generating considerable interest from independent contractors and local authorities looking to achieve best utilisation and justification for equipment and machinery to help meet tight budgets when procuring capital plant. It also consolidates Somerford Equipment’s leading position in the industry.”

After evaluating the marketplace, we made the decision to work with Somerford Equipment as it could demonstrate the ability to successfully design, develop and manufacture this unique solution in short timescales.